An estimated 50 per cent votersexercised their franchise in two Lok Sabha constituencies inArunachal Pradesh on Wednesday despite the ongoing 48-hour statewidebandh called by the All Arunachal Pradesh Students Unionto enforce poll boycott to protest the inclusion of1497 refugees in the state electoral roll.

Though there was no major incident, repolling has been ordered at a polling station near Palin in Kurung Kumeydistrict and another at Chayang Tajo in East Kameng district.

According to election office sources, bandh supporters damaged an EVM at Palin and polling was disrupted at ChayangTajo following a quarrel between two groups there.

The state recorded over 70 per cent polling in October1999 when elections to both assembly and Lok Sabha were heldtogether. According to official sources, Tawang andBomdila have witnessed high turnout.

In the state capital, polling was dull in the morning, but picked up as the day wore on.

While shops and markets were closed due to the bandh for the second day, vehicular traffic was off the road.

With paramilitary personnel patrolling the streets,voters walked down to the polling stations in the absence ofvehicles to cast their votes.

According to reports, almost all the 1497 refugees cast their votes in polling stations exclusively set up for themat Miao, Bordumsa-dyium in Changlang district and at Chakmavillage at Chowkham in Lohit district.

Though there are 13 candidates -- six for Arunachal Eastand seven for Arunachal West seat -- the fight is mainlybetween ruling BJP candidates and opposition Congress andArunachal Congress aspirants.

BJP fielded Khiren Rijiju, general secretary of the stateunit and party spokesman and Tapir Gao, a former vicepresident of the state unit for West and East seatsrespectively.

The Congress renominated Wangcha Rajkumar who representedArunachal East seat in the Lok Sabha for the last two termsand left the West seat to its ally, Arunachal Congresspresident Kamen Ringu.

Altogether 1700 odd polling stations were set up for atotal of 683,480 electors and nearly 50 per cent of thepolling stations were declared either hyper sensitive andsensitive on the basis of the reports of the districtelectoral officers two and half months ago.

A total of 3100 para-military forces and 4000 statepolice personnel were deployed for the smooth conduct of thepoll and IAF helicopters were requisitioned to airliftpolling personnel to inaccessible polling stations.